Album Of The Week

INTERVIEW: CJ KRUKOWSKI OF THRASH/GROOVE METAL OUTFIT “THREATPOINT” ON NEW ALBUM “SALVATION” AND MORE

INTERVIEW: CJ KRUKOWSKI OF THRASH/GROOVE METAL OUTFIT“THREATPOINT” ON NEW ALBUM “SALVATION” AND MORE

SICK AND SOUND has the pleasure to present to its readers an interview our editor-in-chief Alex had with CJ KRUKOWSKI, drummer of THREATPOINT thrash/groove metal band. We are now catching up with the band of Chris James, Alex Olivetti, Sam Young, CJ Krukowski and Greg Baczmarga who kicked off their journey in 2012 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. CJ took some time out of his day to sit down and talk with us about what the band has been up to. We got to know the band a little better, discussed music, their latest album Salvation and future plans.

OUTFIT. Hello guys and very welcome at SICK AND SOUND. Let’s give our readers a wider view on your outfit by talking about how THREATPOINT have been put together and what you influences are.

CJ: Threatpoint formed from the demise of a few old bands that used to play together, which those members make up the core of this band… we’ve had people come and go through the years but the core remains.

BAND. We would love to know you any better, who are you outside of your outfit as musicians?

CJ: everyone is into different things and very much has a life outside of the band, whether it be concert going, weightlifting, hanging with our families, we all have some release outside the band. Not to mention, we all have real life jobs and day to day responsibilities like anyone else has… we all certainly have enough to do.

CONCEPTS. What’s the message that THREATPOINT wish to spread with their music and what main lyrical themes are important for you to discuss?

CJ: Chris is more of the guy to talk to about that but we are all for spreading a positive message overall and aggressive music certainly can assist with that. There’s enough negativity in the world, we try to stray from that. If someone is inspired or invokes a positive vibe from us, job well done.

SOUNDSCAPE.How do you see the soundscape you fit in and what goals do you set to yourself to create something outstanding?

CJ: We try to remain true to our sound but at the same time, if you listen to each of our albums, you can tell there is a slightly different sound in each of them, yet it’s still us.

SOUND. Describe your sound in a few adjectives, what are its staples and assets?

CJ: We are not exactly trying to reinvent the wheel, more or less just putting our spin on it… for the fans by the fans type of deal.

Some of us are really into old-school thrash metal and we really try to incorporate that a lot into our sound, especially with the release of our new album, Salvation.

So, in a few adjectives: heavy, fast, aggressive, loud music… ha!

ALBUM. What were the most challenging aspects working on your new record Salvation?

CJ: Some riffs at first sound good and then you go back and listen later and they don’t sound so good, and vice versa… ha. We’ve also written whole songs that were good for a little while and then you go back to play/review it and for whatever reason it’s just not as happening as you thought it was… that can get tedious, frustrating and difficult. Not to mention, our bassist split after he got done recording this last album and we actually got our original bassist back and he understandably wanted to re-record the bass tracks.

SONGWRITING. In terms of the writing process, what was different in terms of writing for this album as opposed to your previous material and how has the sound actually progressed?

CJ: Going back to the thrash metal thing, we are starting to definitely get more in touch with that type of vibe/sound… you can hear bits and pieces of it on our RIP album too, but more than ever on this one.

And how much have you also changed as a band over the years and as individuals?

CJ: Just more of a learning experience than anything… you start to weed out bad shows/good shows and you can be more choosy overall, also with the type of people you deal with and the services you pay for as a band to help push you to new levels.

LIVE. What are some of the most memorable and coolest things you have experienced with THREATPOINT at a show so far. Let’s share a few.

CJ: Shows have their fair share of moments for sure… whether it’s people moshing/thrashing or singing your songs, to crowd surfing, or when people come up to you and say your band helps get them through tough times or you inspire them, it’s all really flattering.

Even the not so flattering things, like amps going down or a loss of power and you have to kinda improvise and do your best to hold the crowd and show them you’re in control.

Truthfully, our best moments come on the road when we’re not even on stage! It’s like a daycare/romper room!

FUTURE PLANS. What else do THREATPOINT have in store in 2019? Let’s give our readers a touch on your upcoming projects ahead and any revelation you wish to share.

CJ: So many shows happening this year, not to mention we are playing Canada and leave the US as a band for the first time in our history, so we’re looking forward to that!

Most likely gonna play a lot for most of the year to help push our new album out there and wind down later in the year and start writing some new tunes with our new guitarist, Greg.

Thank you for your time and we wish all the best luck with your music. We are thrilled for new music to be dropped by Threatpoint and keep on supporting you into Europe and US!